The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-11-16
REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
THE RROOKLYN DIVINE'S sun.
DAY SERMON.
Subject. Defense Of Young Men.

Subject. Defense Of Young Men"
TEXT: "And the Lord opened the eyes OF
the young man."-1I. Kings vi, II.
One morning in Dothan young theologi
cal student was scared by finding himself and
Elisha, the prophet, upon whom he waited,
surrounded by whole army of enemies But
venerable Elisha was not scared at all, be-
cause he saw the mountains full Of defense
for him, in chariots made out Of fire, wheels
Of fire. dashboard of fire and cushions of fire,
drawn by horses with nostrils of fire. and
names Of fire, and launches of fire. and hoofs
OF hre-a supernatural appearance that could
not be seen with the natural eye. So the old
minister prayed that the young minister
might see them also. and the prayer was an
swered, and the Lord opened the eyes Of the
young man and he also saw the fiery process
sion, looking somewhat, l suppose, like the
Adirondacks or the Alleghanies in this au-
tumnal resplendence.
Many young men, standing among the
most tremendous realities, have their eyes
half shut or entirely closed. May God grant
that my sermon may open wide your eyes 10
your safety, your opportunity and your des-
tiny.
A mighty defense for young man is
good home Some Of my hearers look back
with tender satisfaction to their early home.
It may have been rude and rustic, hidden
among the hills, and architect or upholsterer
naver planned or adorned it. But all the
fresco on princely walls never looked so en-
ticing to you as those rough hewn rafters.
You can think of no park or arbor of trees
planted on fashionable country seat SO at
tractive as the plain brook that ran in front
Of the old farmhouses and sang under
the weeping willows. No barred gateway,
oI1 OFT Nf
open by obsequious porter in full dress, has
half the glory of the swing gate. Many OF
you have a second dwelling place, your
adopted home, that also is sacred forever.
There you built the first family altar. There
your children were born. AL those trees you
planted. That room is solemn, because once
in it, over the hot pillow, tapped the wing
of death. Under that roof you expect when
your work is done to lie down and die. You
try with many words to tell the excellency
of the place, but you fail. There is only one
word in the language that can describe your
meaning. 1t is home.
Now, declare that young man is COM
paratively sale who goes out into the world
with a charm like this upon him. The men,
ming and praying, will be to him shield and
a shelter. never knew man faithful both
to his esrly and adopted home, who at the
same time was given over to any gross form
of dissipation or wickedness He who seeks
his enjoyment chiefly from outside associa-
tion, rather than from the more quiet and
unpresumng, pleasures, Of which I have
road to ruin. Absalom despised his fathers
house, and you know his history of sin and
his death of shame If you seem unneces.
sarily isolated from your kindred and former
associates, is there not some room that you
can call your own! Into it gather books and
pictures and harp. Have portrait over
the mantel Make ungodly mirth stand back
with the knee of prayer. By the memory Of
other days, a fathers counsel and mothers
love, and q sisters confidence. call it home
Another defense foEa young man is indus
trious habit Many young men, in starting
upon life In this age, expect to make their
way through the world by the use of their
wits rather than the toll of their hands. A
child now goes to the city and fails twice be-
fore he Is as old as his father was when he
first saw the spires Of the great town Sit
ting in some oltice rented at $1,000 a year,
he Is waiting for the bank to declare its divi.
dend, or goes into the market expecting be-
fore night to be made rich by the rushing up
of the stocks. But luck seemed so dull he re-
solved on some other tack Perhaps he bor-
rows from his employers money drawer,
and forSets 20 put it back. or for merely the
purpose of improving his penmanShip makes
q copy plate of merchants signature. Never
mind, all is right in trade. In some dark
night there may come in his dreams q vision
OF Blackwelrr Island, or Of Sing Sing, but
1t soon vanishes. In a short time he will
be ready to retire from the busy world,
and amid his focks and herds culture the
domestic virtues. Then those young men
who once were his schoolmates, and knew no
better than to engage in honest work, will
come with their OK teams to draw him logs
and with their hard hands help heave I'D his
castle. This is no fancy picture Its every
day life. l should not wonder if there were
some rotten beams in that beautiful palace.
should not onder if dire sicknesses should
smlte through the young man, or if God
should pour into his cup of life draught
that would thrill him with unbearable agony.
should not wonder If bis children should
become to him living curse, making his
home pest and disgrace. + should not
wonder II ne goes to a miserable grave, and
beyond it into the gnashing of teeth. The
way Of the ungodly shall perish.
My young friends, there is no way to senu-
Inc success except through toll either Of the
head or hand At the battle of Crecy in
lS4S the Prince Of Wales, finding himself
heavily pressed by the enemy, sent word to
his father for help. The father, watching
the battle from windmill and seeing that
his son was not wounded and could gain the
day If he would, sent word: 'No; will not
come. Let the boy win his spurs, for, if
900 Will, desire that this day be his with
sh its honors." Young man, fight your own
battle all through and you shall have the
victory. Oh, it is a battle worth fighting.
Two monarchs Of old fought duel, Charles
V. and Francis, and the stakes were king
doms- Milan and Burgundy. You fight with
sin and the stakes are heaven and hell
Do not get the fatal idea that you are a
genius, and that therefore there is no need
Of close application. 1t is here where multi
tudes fail The great curse of this age is the
geniuses, men with enormous self conceit and
egotism, and nothing else. l had rather be
an OK than an eagle; plain, and plodding, ard
nothing but to pick out the eyes Of carcasses.
Extraordinary capacity without use is extra
ordinary failure. There is no hope for that
person who begins his life resolved to live by
his wits, for the probability is he has not
any. 1t was not safe for Adam, even in his
unfallen state, to have nothing to do,
and, therefore, God commanded him
to be a farmer and horticulturist.
He was to dress the garden and
keep it, and had he and his wife obeyed the
divine injunction and been at work, they
would not have been sauntering under the
trees and hungering after that fruit which
destroyed them and their posterity proof
positive for all ages to come that those who
do not attend to their business are sure to get
into mischief. do not know that the prod
igal in Scripture would ever have been re-
claimed had he not given up his idle habits
and gone to feeding swine for living. go
to the ant, thou sluggard: consider her ways
and be wise, which, having no overseer or
guide, provideth her food in the summer and
gathereth her meat in the harvest" The